The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi has awarded its outsourced passport, visa and consular services contract to Al Hind Tours & Travels LLC, replacing incumbents BLS International and SGIVS Global.
The switchover takes effect on 1 July 2026, with the current providers continuing to accept applications until 30 June.
The mission confirmed the move in a public notice on 16 June, reported by Outlook Traveller the same evening.
Sixteen service centres across the United Arab Emirates will come under Al Hind’s management; exact locations and fee structures are to be published in the coming weeks.
Why it matters: Nearly 3.5 million Indians live and work in the UAE, making it the single largest overseas posting for Indian professionals.
Any disruption in passport renewals, Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards or emergency visas can upend work-permit renewals and family travel.
A similar vendor transition in 2018 led to week-long backlogs when biometric kits were re-installed.
The Embassy says it is sequencing the hand-over to avoid downtime, but advises applicants with imminent travel to file documents before mid-June or defer until after the new centres stabilise.
To help travellers stay ahead of shifting procedures, VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) aggregates live embassy advisories, schedules and document checklists, and can pre-screen applications before you head to the counter—an extra layer of assurance while the two-vendor system beds in.
Corporates with high-volume processing—especially IT and construction firms rotating staff between India and the Gulf—should brief employees on the temporary dual-vendor environment to avoid missed appointments.
Looking ahead: Al Hind is expected to introduce an online appointment engine similar to its Kuwait operation and may pilot home-pickup of documents for large enterprises.
The Embassy has warned applicants to rely only on official channels for updates and cautioned against third-party agents advertising “priority slots” during the transition.
The switchover takes effect on 1 July 2026, with the current providers continuing to accept applications until 30 June.
The mission confirmed the move in a public notice on 16 June, reported by Outlook Traveller the same evening.
Sixteen service centres across the United Arab Emirates will come under Al Hind’s management; exact locations and fee structures are to be published in the coming weeks.
Why it matters: Nearly 3.5 million Indians live and work in the UAE, making it the single largest overseas posting for Indian professionals.
Any disruption in passport renewals, Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards or emergency visas can upend work-permit renewals and family travel.
A similar vendor transition in 2018 led to week-long backlogs when biometric kits were re-installed.
The Embassy says it is sequencing the hand-over to avoid downtime, but advises applicants with imminent travel to file documents before mid-June or defer until after the new centres stabilise.
To help travellers stay ahead of shifting procedures, VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) aggregates live embassy advisories, schedules and document checklists, and can pre-screen applications before you head to the counter—an extra layer of assurance while the two-vendor system beds in.
Corporates with high-volume processing—especially IT and construction firms rotating staff between India and the Gulf—should brief employees on the temporary dual-vendor environment to avoid missed appointments.
Looking ahead: Al Hind is expected to introduce an online appointment engine similar to its Kuwait operation and may pilot home-pickup of documents for large enterprises.
The Embassy has warned applicants to rely only on official channels for updates and cautioned against third-party agents advertising “priority slots” during the transition.
